Deke Bellavia

Deke: What to watch for at the Black and Gold Scrimmage

by Deke Bellavia,posted Aug 2 2013 11:23PM

OK, the first full week of training camp will be in the books for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints wrap up week one and get a day off. But first, their annual Black and Gold Scrimmage takes place on Saturday. Here's what Saints Coach Sean Payton, our resident pros Hokie and Bobby, and current Saints players are expecting at the scrimmage:

Hokie Gajan: “I’ll keep an eye on the individual position battles. The Left Tackle position battle still has my eye. I think Charles Brown and Terron Armstead are ahead of Jason Smith. I really like the progress that Armstead has made. I know he’s a rookie, but he’s (Armstead) has good feet and he has a nastiness about him.”
Hokie thinks by some of the things the players and coaches have said this week at practice, that this Black and Gold Scrimmage may be a little more interesting than past B&G Games.

The Cajun Cannon says: “It will be the closest thing to a game we will see at practice. I want to see if the offense can sustain drives against what looks to be an improved Saints Defense. I think our defense is better and they have been more aggressive during camp.”

Bobby also says that he will be watching the Saints Wide Receivers and if a player can make an impact in the scrimmage. “At times we have seen Saalim Hakim, Chris Givens, Preston Parker and Andy Tanner all have their moments. Now I want to see who makes plays in a game like situation.”

Saints Coach Sean Payton - Is there anything specifically you will be looking for tomorrow? What are some positions that you are most curious about?

“I think tomorrow, I am anxious to see how we do at left tackle. I am anxious to see how some of these young defensive backs and receivers handle this competition. For me, there are a number of these linebackers who run together, when I am watching the tape. I think Seneca (Wallace) will probably not go tomorrow. We will have a chance to see Drew (Brees), we will see Luke (McCown) and finish with Ryan (Griffin), kind of bump those guys up a little bit when we take Drew out. So, with three quarterbacks, they will get a lot of snaps. At the halfback position, we will be pretty clean in the rotation. So, (for) some of those linemen, both on the offense and defense side of the ball (it is a good opportunity). It is always the first impression when you get into a situation like this is interesting. So, I am anxious to see that.”

Saints CB #28 Keenan Lewis - Are you excited about it being regular football tomorrow?
“Definitely, tomorrow is going to be pads, it’s a live scrimmage so that’s what you can assimilate to a game and hopefully everybody is ready to go.”

Saints back-up QB #7 Luke McCown - What are you trying to take away from tomorrow’s scrimmage?
“I’m just trying to execute. I think if you ask across the board that’s what the players want. We’re just trying to execute what we’ve installed to this point. We’re not trying to do too much. It’s not like we’re getting a scheme up on what our defense is doing. We’re running our plays and there’s going to be some things that don’t mesh up well with what they’re doing defensively and vice versa offensively versus what they’re doing offensively. It’s just a matter of executing within the game plan, within what we’ve installed and come away with a good scrimmage.”

Saints OLB #93 Junior Gallette - How much eagerness is there to get into live football situations tomorrow?

“It’s a lot of eagerness your definitely a little anxious. I’m not even worried about the day off I'm worried about the scrimmage. I’m just so focused on this and making sure that with everything I'm detailed with all my assignments and seeing how I am actually feel through a series of plays and not just three or four plays at a time.”

Saints Safety #27 Malcolm Jenkins - When teams go into scrimmages, the coaches are looking to see physical play and take advantage of the opportunity to evaluate in game-like conditions. As a player, what do you need to see out of this scrimmage?

“I think the scrimmages are a chance for coaches and players to evaluate themselves. You get put into situations where the game plan is pretty simple and you got to go out and execute. Just like you get evaluated in every practice and every game, this is just one situation where you get to test yourself, do you know what you are doing and can you get the job done.”

Join our WWL Sports Team Saturday morning beginning at 8:00 a.m.. Our team will bring you all of the action from Saints Practice, as our resident pros will break down each play of the scrimmage! Former Saints Offensive Lineman Steve Korte, former Saints FB Hokie Gajan and the Cajun Cannon Bobby Hebert dissect the scrimmage LIVE from start to finish. Tune in right here on the Flagship of the New Orleans Saints WWL 870AM/FM 105.3 and online at wwl.com.